Jack’s Winning Words 1/30/19
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be as welcome.”  (Anne  Bradstreet)  I’ve heard that today is supposed to be one of the coldest days ever.  But, Anne’s quote isn’t about the weather, it’s about handling adversity.  I might not like the bad things that have happened in my life, but I appreciate the good things that have happened because of the bad.  Bring on the cold!   ;-)  Jack

FROM GOOD DEBT JON:  If not for zero degrees, who could appreciate 32?===JACK:  Before we heard about a Polar Vortex, we just came in the house said, "Brrrr, it's cold out there today."  I'm beginning sound like a fogey.  Oh, that's right!  I am an old fogey.

FROM PROUD MARY:  My Mama always told me...” The soul would have no rainbow had the eye no tear”. She also coined a phrase for us as she was struggling in her life’s end...”if you don’t laugh...you cry”. She was a funny woman so we did much of both. She was a believer in “silver linings”.===JACK:  She had more than her share of tears, but what I remember most is how she was a laughing friend to our family.  Unforgettable!===PM:  So many times she made me laugh til I cried.===JACK:  Sometimes it was hard to determine when she was a mom and when she was one of the kids.  Special, special person!

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  Or maybe good things happen in spite of the bad...or as Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it, "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered!"  Who knew that the blessing of penicillin would come from mold?!  Lots to ponder in this world, but assuredly rough times make the smooth more appreciated!!===JACK:  I think that it was Mark Twain who said, "Every dog needs a certain amount of fleas."

FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  i was thinking the same last night as the temperature dropped. and it makes for fewer bugs for the next season!===JACK:  ...and fewer bugs means less food for bug-eating birds.  God has a big job on his hands, trying to keep all creatures satisfied.  I like the song (from the Episcopals, I think)...
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the lord god made them all.
Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colours,
he made their little wings.
The purpleheaded mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning,
that brightens up the sky.
The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
he made them every one.
The tall trees in the greenwood,
the meadows where we play,
the rushes by the water,
we gather every day.
===LIZ:  It all evens out.===JACK:  "He's got the whole world in his hands..."

FROM GUSTIE MARLYS:  I have been out this morning—it is -20 but it did not feel bad.  I am going out this afternoon too.  I grew up in this weather and while it is cold, it won’t keep me home!  Ha!===JACK:  What do you expect when it's winter?  Cold and snow and wind.  Deal with it!

FROM COPPER COUNTRY PASTOR:  Hi, Jack.  Our neighbor just phoned and advised us to stay inside.  His description  is:  “IT’S COLDER OUTSIDE THAN A MOTHER IN LAWS HEART.” ===JACK:  My mother-in-law's heart was very warm, so I'll have to go along with another expression...It's so cold out dere dat da milk cows are giving icicles...MORE How cold was it?

It was so cold that…

People wore clothes in the sauna to keep warm.

 In church, after the passing of  the peace, people continued to hug one another until the end of the service
FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Enjoy each day! Even if it is cold! My cousin in Rockford says they are expecting 31 below tonight! Do you remember when we got the day off when we were about in 5th grade and it was 37 below-as I remember it!

FROM TAMPA SHIRL:  Enjoy each day! Even if it is cold! My cousin in Rockford says they are expecting 31 below tonight! Do you remember when we got the day off when we were about in 5th grade and it was 37 below-as I remember it!===JACK:  As I remember it, we had very few "off days" and there were no school buses.